OK, my text this morning will
be Galatians chapter 3, verse 24 and 25. Galatians 3, 24, 25. And note
the words as kind of read along with me in your mind as I read
these two verses. And if you're not reading in
there, listen to what Paul wrote. Wherefore, that is because of
what I've said before, wherefore the law was our schoolmaster,
and I'm gonna put it this way, unto Christ, that we might be
justified by faith. But after that faith is come,
we are no longer under a schoolmaster. Now in our text, Our brother
Paul defines the law as our schoolmaster, yay? I must point this out, as
our former schoolmaster. I was working on this message
and I don't know how many times, I don't use a computer and that
don't all matter, but I don't know how many times I had to
erase it out and rewrite it because I just felt like I wasn't getting
the import of what Paul says here. Now, I cannot overemphasize
the fact that the law was our schoolmaster. God willing, next
week we'll look at that. The law was, was our schoolmaster. but my title for this morning
is The Schoolmaster Defined. Okay, The Schoolmaster Defined. Now, I want you to take note
of this one vital point. I want to give you the statement
maybe a couple times and I want to try to illustrate what I'm
getting at here. The Schoolmaster Defined. We
dare not conform God's law to our view or views for that matter. We dare not conform God's law
to our view of a schoolmaster. We must see the law as defined
in scripture, and this is the law that was our schoolmaster. Do you hear what I just said?
That's very important, and I'll try to illustrate that. If you
did, say you're studying this book, and you get to these two
verses, and you go into some of the commentaries, and I'm
not speaking for all commentaries, but I can only speak for those
that I have at my availability. They'll go then to talk about
what schoolmasters did, let's say, in the Roman time, in the
time of Paul. or they'll go to talk about what
schoolmasters did in maybe earlier days in this country. That's
not the point. The point is not the schoolmaster
defined by human opinions and views. The point is the law was
our schoolmaster. So this much is true. Whatever
the law as schoolmaster is to any person at any given time,
Once they believe, they're no longer under that schoolmaster.
That's the point Paul's making. So let me state it again. We
dare not conform God's law to our view or views of a schoolmaster. We don't take a schoolmaster,
what has been called schoolmasters, in all kinds of different ages.
And their roles as schoolmaster has varied. For instance, It
is said by those who I guess have studied these things, as
I read one set of commentaries, it is said that schoolmasters
were known for actually taking the kids to school, bringing
them from one place to another, so then they'll begin to preach
on how the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. But to
bring us is not in the text. It's not in the Greek, I look
back in the Greek, it's just not there. So you don't, now
why those who translated the KJV did it, I have no idea, but
it's not the point. What Paul wrote was this, wherefore
the law was our schoolmaster unto Christ that we might be
justified by faith. It has nothing to do with the
law master. The law master was, and we've already looked at it,
temporary. It was given until Christ came, to whom the promise
was made, and the law was our schoolmaster until faith came,
and now we're no longer under the schoolmaster. The only sense
in which God uses something as schoolmaster, and chapter four
is not a different subject. Look at chapter four. Now this
I say, that the heir, as long as he is a child, that's a youngster,
okay? That the very heir to the property,
you know, some man owns this large home, large property, maybe
cattle and sheep and camels or whatever it may have been. I
say that the heir, as long as he is a child, differed nothing
from a servant, other little fellas. And they're just the
offspring of servants in the household. They have no right,
no inheritance to nothing that the owner has. But the child
does because he's an heir, but while he's a child. Now I say
that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing
from the servant, though he be lord of all. That little fellow's
over all those other, but he's treated the same way when he's
a child, but is under tutors and governors, and here's the
only illustration that Paul uses of the tutors and governors or
of schoolmasters in his day, until the time appointed of the
father. Because the father said, you will train this child up
for such and such and such a time, and once that comes, I'm considering
them mature, their training is done, it's over with. But we'll
see that the law didn't train us. It didn't train us. But more on that once we get
to this. So again, what we're looking
at was wherefore the law was our schoolmaster. unto Christ,
that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith has
come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. So again, we
dare not conform God's law to our view or views of a schoolmaster. We must see the law as defined
in scripture, and this is the schoolmaster. Okay, you understand. I hope you understand what I'm
getting at there. So let's just get to it. The schoolmaster defined
is as follows. I'm going to give you six things.
There are more, but these six things set the precedent. Any
other opinion you have or I have about the law that doesn't fit
these six things, that doesn't fall under the canopy of these
six things is merely an opinion, and if we think we've got it
from the Bible, then we've distorted what the Bible says about the
law, because nothing else about the law defined as schoolmaster
can contradict these seven or six things. Here's the first
one, turn to Titus chapter three if you're following along. Here's
the first thing about this schoolmaster. Titus chapter three. Now I'll
read the verse in a moment. What I'm gonna give you, I'll
have you turn to passages that I'm going to turn to, I'll make
my statement about it, and then we'll read the passage. Some
of these I will refer to because I've referred to them over and
over again the past several weeks. Here's number one. The law has
been a subject argued about for millennia. Millennia. We know it was argued about even
in the days when it was initially first given. It came down from
Sinai in the hands of Moses in the form of two tablets of stone
upon which were written down by the finger of God 10 commandments. And what did Israel say even
before that? All the words of this law that
God spoke and we will do. They were arguing with God, we'll
do this. Then before Moses even got down with them, they were
breaking him before he even got down the mountain. But look at
the verse, Titus chapter three, verse nine. But avoid foolish
questions. That's good instruction, right? But avoid foolish questions.
What's a foolish question? One, it's one that has no answer.
That's a foolish question. Or two, it's one whose answer
is contrary to the word of God. That's a foolish question. No
matter how relevant it might seem, if it's not answered and
dealt with by the word of God, just avoid it. Just avoid it.
But avoid foolish questions and genealogies. Because it don't
matter. It's not of blood, nor the will
of the flesh, nor the will of man. This thing is an act of
God. But avoid foolish questions and
genealogies and contentions. and strivings about the law. What brought about all of the,
what our Lord spoken of to the Pharisees and warned his disciples
and all the Jews for that matter, what was it that brought the
Pharisees to all of their traditions? It was their interpretation of
the law. They took the law, and I think,
Joe, you may have been the one, somebody mentioned it, that they
took the law and then they kind of broadened it out to make it
easier to keep. And then they didn't even turn
around and keep their own traditions. Men have always argued about
the law. And he says, avoid. Avoid what? Strivings about the
law, for they are unprofitable and empty. In other words, when
you're preaching the truth of the new covenant, the truth of
the personal work of Jesus Christ, and somebody says, but what about
this concerning the law? They're already starting up the
argument. So that's number one about the schoolmaster. He's
been argued about as to who he is and what he does for millennia. The Jews, what is it called,
Joe, the Talmud? It's a whole book of traditions
supposedly based upon the law, and loosely it is. And our Lord
warned about that. He said, your obedience is concerning
these traditions. You've made the law of God of
no effect by your traditions. Think about it. God's people
state the facts about the law. They don't debate about it. They
don't say, but what about this? And what about that? And how
does this fit with that? No, we state exactly what the
word of God says about the law. And I said, we state it. We speak
of it. But listen to me, we do not preach
the law. And some of you are mincing words.
You're exactly right, I'm mincing words. We don't preach the law,
we preach Christ. We may teach the law, but we
don't preach the law. We preach Christ. Our message is Christ, not the
law. Our message ain't the resurrection
either. It's Christ. It's Christ. A lot, everybody's
gonna be raised from the dead, but not everybody's in Christ.
Right? Everybody's gonna experience
a resurrection, but some will be under life. Some will be under
eternal condemnation. So remember, the law has been
a subject argued over for millennia. Here's number two. Turn to 1
Timothy chapter one. And I'll just touch on some of
this. I won't go through and read all
the context of it, but turn to 1 Timothy chapter one. Here's
the second thing. The second, it's not a second
definition. That's not the right way to put
it, but here's the schoolmaster being defined. Here's the second
thought about the schoolmaster. The law in whole. and in its
separate parts. According to Paul in Romans 7
and verse 12, the law is holy and the commandment. You see,
the law is a whole, it's a whole. It has many hundreds, I'm told,
of commandments. They're all summarized in 10.
I've said this over and over, they're all summarized in 10,
and those 10 are summarized in what? Two, okay? The law in whole and in its separate
parts. Each commandment is a separate
part, and you don't take one and try to fight it against the
other. Right? You take one law and say, well,
that one's not as important as, or this one's more important
than, you don't do that with the law. It's one law. It's not
many laws. It's many commandments, but it's
one law. So the law, we're talking about
the schoolmaster defined, the law in whole and in its separate
parts is all wholly. I know that people like us have
been accused of speaking against the law. We do not. Until. Until this, here's this caveat. Remember, the law in whole and
its separate parts is holy. The law is holy and the commandment,
holy, just, and good, okay? But the law's intent can be abused. That's why Paul wrote these words,
1 Timothy chapter one, I told you to turn there, verse five. Now the end of the commandment
is charity out of a pure heart. Where does that come from? Not
the law. God's grace. The only place that
could come from. Out of a pure heart and of a
good conscience. Where does that come from? That
comes from God. If God's given you life and you
read the law, you ain't gonna have a good conscience. Your
conscience is going to begin to eat you alive. If not, you'll
see, we'll see here in a moment how the schoolmaster, how you
were under the schoolmaster. But think about it. And a good
conscience and a faith unpretended. There's a lot of people, these
Ten Commandments people, they're pretending faith in God. They're
not believing God, they're believing in themselves. I can do this.
They're doing just like Israel said at the base of the mount.
All the words of this law that God has spoken, we'll do it.
And you remember they even had one guy came to Christ and he
said, well, what good master, what good thing might I do that
I might inherit eternal life? And Christ said, keep the commandments.
He said, I did all those from my youth up. You remember Henry
Mahan, if you ever heard that message he preached? Well, give
me something hard to do. That's what he was basically saying.
I've done that. There's gotta be something more to it. Even
he knew it was more than that, but he had no idea what it was.
He still thought it was something he could do. So let's go on. From which some, having swerved,
have turned aside unto vain jangling. And that's what they're like. I don't want to say free will
religion because it extends even into Calvinistic religion. But
this is what all human-based antagonistic, anti-Christ religion
does when it begins to talk about God's word and the law. It's
just jangling. It's got no real basis in what
the law actually says. They're giving us our take on
it. and they always like to emphasize
the parts of the law they think they're pretty good at, and the
ones that they're not, they kind of leave to the side. Now the,
from which some, having swerved, have turned aside and to vain
jangling, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither
what they say nor whereof they affirm. And somebody says, but
the law said do this and live. Yes it does, but you can't. If God ever opens your eyes,
he gives you eyes to see, gives you a heart to perceive, gives
you ear to hear, and then when you hear the law, you'll say,
I can't do that. That's all it'll ever really
teach you as a schoolmaster. I can't do it. And when you think
you're doing it, you're not hearing what the schoolmaster taught. Look. But we know that the law
is good, but then there is this caveat, if a man use it lawfully. So again, the law has been a
subject of argument for millennia. The law in whole and its separate
parts is holy, but the law's intent can be abused. And to
abuse the law's intent is to insult God who gave it. And it's to insult Christ who
kept and fulfilled it. He's the only human being that
ever has, ever did, ever will. You and I, even as saved people,
still do not keep the law. How many of y'all cease from
all of your work Friday evening at sundown? How many did here? Even the Seventh-day Adventists
really don't. They just go to church on Saturday
rather than Sunday. Huh? How many of us really ceased
from any labor at all? You can't even walk but so many
steps on the Sabbath day from Friday evening at sundown to
Saturday evening at sundown. How many? Not a one of us. Not
a one of us loved God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and
strength on the Sabbath day and the other six days as well. Nope. If you abuse the law's
intent, you are abusing God's intent. Here's the third thing. Turn to Romans chapter three. Now this one is, everything I've
said so far just about everybody would agree on, okay? The problem
is they don't really agree that once God gives you faith, once
you believe Christ, you're no longer under the schoolmaster.
They may say you're no longer under the schoolmaster, and then
they'll turn right around and start preaching the law and tell
you you need to do these things. At least do your best. Now listen, here's number three.
I am trying to define the schoolmaster. The law defines sins and sin,
sin, what sin is, in particular. Romans chapter three, verse 20.
Therefore, by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be
justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. And that's certainly true. It's
no less true than do this and live. But here's what I'm about
to say. There is this fourth caveat to
the law. Yes, the law defines sins in
particular. But now turn to Romans eight.
Now listen to me. The law pronounces curse after
curse after curse concerning the law if you don't keep its
precepts, correct? It pronounces blessing after
blessing after blessing. If you do, keep its precepts.
But it never ever really blessed. And it never ever really accomplished
a curse. When they didn't obey the law,
when Israel didn't obey the law, who did the cursing? The law?
Did the law do something to them? No, it's just words. It's just
commands. commands of do or commands of
don't. Who was the one that did the
cursing or the blessing? God did. God did. God himself did. But look at
this caveat. Here it is. Christ but but. Yes, the law defines sins in
particular, but Christ in his sufferings and death actually
condemned sin. Romans chapter 8 verse 3. For
what the law could not do in that it was weak through the
flesh. Do you see that? Now what's the
context here? He gives it for what the law
could not do in that it was weak through the flesh. God sending
his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, or
that is because of sin, condemned sin in the flesh. Do you see that? Now I'm gonna say this. You can
break the law all day long, the law don't do nothing to you.
But God can. And God does. But God dealt with
that broken law in the person of his son. Do you see that? The law was weak out through
the flesh. We couldn't keep it either way.
We couldn't keep its precepts positively, and we couldn't die
for its curses and its condemnation. We're gonna all die one day,
but that's not enough. Christ had to do it. Do you see
that? Do you see that? Christ had to
do the dying. If it's just dying, then we'd
all die and then go to heaven. But it ain't just dying. Sin
had to be condemned in the flesh, and it was in the person and
work of the Lord Jesus Christ. He suffered the punishment for
sin and sins. suffered the punishment. The punishment for Israel wasn't
getting kicked out of the land of Canaan, it was going to hell. It was perishing under the wrath
of God. Not losing a piece of land, or
your wheat not growing good, or some locusts coming in, that's
temporary. Right, those were just little
figures or signs or manifestation of God's displeasure in their
breaking of the law. Who was it that brought the judgment
and condemnation? God did. God did. So that's our schoolmaster. So
far, the schoolmaster's been argued about for millennia, and
let us never think we're gonna settle the argument. No matter
how plain I've tried to be up here these past many, many weeks,
there's still going to be people that say, well, I don't agree
with him. Well, if you got that attitude, I don't care. But people who will see the word
of God for what it is and the law for what it, and for us,
what it was. Well, that's the hard part. I
keep wanting to say is, but it's not is for us. It was. It was. It was. Ain't that a wonderful word when
you're looking at a schoolmaster? When we look at these other points,
you'll say, thank God it was, not is. Remember, the law defines
sins in particular, but Christ in his sufferings and death actually
condemned sin in the flesh. Here's number four. Here's why
I say this caveat about its service. Now, I'm not gonna read this.
It's 2 Corinthians 3, 5 through 15, where Paul talks about the
law had a glory, but compared to the glory of the ministration
of righteousness and grace, it had no glory at all compared
to that one. And this is what people say,
you don't believe the whole Bible. I believe the whole Bible. Only
believers really believe the whole Bible. But we know there's
an old covenant and a new covenant. And nobody was ever saved by
the old covenant. Ever, ever, ever, ever, ever.
It's not, we used to be saved by the old covenant. Now we're
saved by the new covenant. Nobody's ever been saved by the
old covenant. The old covenant at best tells
us we need the new one. That's what it tells us. You
need the new one, you need a different one, you need one other than
this. Because it's even weak through your flesh. Through your
flesh. So it's service, this is what
Paul says, in 2 Corinthians 3, 5 through 15 specifically, it's
service is to kill. That's what it was, it was to
kill. It's service was death. Spiritual death, it shows how
spiritually dead we really are. Its service is condemnation.
You can go back and read it. It's right there. But its service
was also to act as a B-L-I-N-D-E-R, a blinder. Not an opener up of
things. but a blinder. Nobody ever really
begins to understand what the law really says until God's first
saved them by free reign and grace. Then and then only do
they really begin to understand what the law really taught you
when you were under it. Huh? When you were under it.
It's not that God puts you through three or four months of understanding
what the law really says. You're just getting bits and
pieces of it. Bits and pieces of it. Now let me show you why
that's so. First of all, according to both our Lord Jesus Christ,
recorded in John 7, verse 19. Remember, it surfaces to kill,
it's death, it's condemnation, it's a blinder. Blinder. Paul said it of the Jews. When
the reading of the law is read, why don't they see their sin?
They came apart from the ministration of grace. It's not the law that
does the job. It's grace that does the job.
But here's one of the points on this number four. None can
keep it. Our Lord said so. John 7 verse
19. Paul said so. Galatians 6 verse
13. Nobody keeps it. Nobody keeps
it. Here's the second part of this.
Death, condemnation, it's a blinder. According to Peter, as recorded
by Luke in Acts 15 verse 10, it's an unbearable yoke. It's
unbearable. And he told people, quit putting
believers, the yoke on believers, quit it. It's a yoke that neither
our fathers nor we were able to bear. That's how far out from
under the law we are as believers. We don't bear its yoke, not one
commandment. Not one. We don't bear that yoke. Third thing of this fourth description
of the law, if your definition of law. Turn to Galatians 3, you should
be, or you were, right? It's got one of the verses, I
had two verses here. No, actually I had three, I'm
sorry, I apologize. Here's the third point under this fourth
description or definition of the law. It cannot be rationed
out for ease. You don't say, well, here's some
really hard ones, and we need to stress the hard ones. And
here's some easy ones, we can kind of pass through them pretty
easy. That's what Sunday schools are basically about today. Yeah,
that's what Sunday school, they teach kids, little kids, they
teach them law. And here's some easy ones, but
here's some hard ones. You need to really work on these.
Look at what Paul said, Galatians 3 verse 10, for as many as are
of the works of the law are under the curse, for it is written,
oh God, if God ever really causes you to see what this says, he's
already saved you by grace. or you'd never be able to see
it. Because the law itself in your unregenerate state will
never teach you this. It's not that kind of a schoolmaster. The law don't give you grace. It don't give you grace, never
has. The law came by Moses. Where did grace and truth come
from? Jesus Christ. Now, for John to make that distinguish
is not me making the difference, it's God making the difference.
Look, why are they under the curse? For it is written, cursed
is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them. Chapter five and verse
three. For I testify again to every
man that is circumcised. And I'm gonna put just circumcised. Just circumcised. that he is
a debtor to the whole law, right? And this is what our brother
James wrote. In James chapter two, James wrote
these words. James two in just one verse,
verse 10. For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend
in one point, he's guilty Somebody said, I don't understand
that. Quit arguing about it, that's what God says. Quit trying
to say but, but, but. No, if you do, you're already
right back to number one, you ain't even got to number two,
three, or four yet. You see what I'm saying? You're right back
to number one, you're just arguing about the law. You keep the whole
law, but offend in one point, you're guilty of not that one
point. You're guilty of what? You've
broken the whole law. The law is a whole. Again, I
said, it cannot be rationed out for ease. Here's the fourth thing under
this fourth description. Romans chapter seven, verse five. Romans chapter seven, verse five.
What I preached on this here and what I preached on this where
Bruce Crabtree's the pastor, and I preach from Romans chapter
seven, like verses, what was it, Penny, one through six? He
just went on and on. He said, Walter, I'm gonna preach
that same message. Well, it wasn't because of me.
Listen to me, here's the fourth thing concerning this. It's services
to kill, it's death, it's condemnation, it's a blinder. It's a blinder. I don't understand how I can
give the knowledge of sin and yet be a blinder just because
God said so. quit fighting with it and saying,
but, God says it's both. So it's what? It's both. It's
both. All right, where was I at? Okay.
It incites, this is this law, this schoolmaster, it incites
the flesh in us. Romans seven, verse five. For
when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins which were by
the law. It did work in our members to
bring forth what? Fruit unto death. I used the illustration here.
I've used it in North Carolina. I used it in Kentucky. I used
it in Indiana. It's like that dead carcass on
the side of the road. And in the middle of a cold,
bitter, below zero winter, you can walk right up to that thing
and you don't smell nothing. Right? You don't really smell
nothing. You might if you get right down
there against it. But if that dead carcass is laying on the
road in the middle of the summer and that sun's right up there
baking down on that thing, you don't even have to see it. You
don't even have to be close to it, do you? You can just drive
nearby and all of a sudden, something's dead, right? It's that putrid
odor of that rotting carcass. Now, do we blame the sun? Huh? No, we don't blame the Son. The
problem's what? The putrid carcass. But that's
why Paul said, for when we were in the flesh, the motions of
sin, which were by the law, just tell somebody not to do something,
and their flesh automatically wants to. Tell somebody they
ought to do or got to do something, automatically the flesh says,
I will not. This is, wait a minute, was our
schoolmaster. That was number four, here's
number five. Turn to Hebrews chapter seven. What I'm giving
you is precedence. Anything else somebody thinks
is true about the law, if it don't match with these six things,
they're lying about the law. They are using the law wrongfully.
Hebrews, I'm sorry, I said Roman, I was about to say Romans. Hebrews
chapter seven, let me give you the statement. The law's priesthood,
even its priesthood, and the law even had a high priest, right? Just one. And he was high priest
until he died. He didn't have three or four
at one time. Had a high priest, and once he took his place as
high priest, Joe, he was the high priest until the day he
died. even if he screwed up royally, pardon the way I put that, right?
He was still high. I don't find anywhere where God
ever took somebody out of the high priesthood, did they? There
were some priests killed for offering strange fire, huh? But
never did God just take somebody out of the high priesthood under
the old economy, under the law. It's priesthood, listen to me,
Its priesthood was inferior to Christ's priesthood. Hebrews chapter seven, verse
11. If therefore perfection were
under the Levitical priesthood, for under it the people received
the what? The law. What further need was
there that another priest should arise after the order of Melchizedek
and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood
being changed, that is, every time one died, they had to have
another one, a new one. For the priesthood being changed,
Paul said even the law teaches this, but how many people really
saw that? I didn't even see that until just a little while ago
when I really began studying this. Huh? For the priesthood
being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of
the law. For he of whom these things are
spoken, that's Jesus Christ, that's the context, pertaineth
to another tribe of which no man gave attendance at the altar.
He was of the tribe of Judah. He could not have been a high
priest or even a regular priest if he had been born way back
yonder. You see that? When he was born. He wasn't a priest after the
order of the Levitical, after the Levitical order. Look, for
it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah, of which tribe
Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood, and yet it is, here
we go, far more evident. For that after the similitude
of Melchizedek, there ariseth another priest, and he existed
before the law was given. Because Abraham met him. And
who is Melchizedek? He's your Lord, if you believe
him. Melchizedek was your Lord. Melchizedek is your Lord. And
Melchizedek will forever be your Lord. And yet it is far more
evident from that after the similitude of Melchizedek, there ariseth
another priest who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment. Why does he call it carnal? Not
because he's throwing off on the law, but the law deals with
our flesh. That's all it deals with. It
don't deal with us in the new man. There is no law against
or even for the new man. The new man is a new creation
in Christ Jesus. And yet it's far more evident
that after the similitude of Melchizedek, there arises another
priest who is made not after the law of a carnal commandment,
but after the power of an endless life, for he testifieth. And this was even by the psalmist
David. Thou art a priest forever, not
after the order of Aaron. Not after the Levitical priesthood,
but thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. For there is truly, is it verily,
a disemulling of the commandment going before for the weakness
and unprofitableness thereof. That's what the book of God says
about the schoolmaster. For the law, that's the schoolmaster,
right, made nothing Dare I say it again? Nothing! Do I have to say it again so
we get it? Oh, God, help us to get it. Nothing
perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did, by the
which we draw nigh unto God. When it comes to priesthood,
forget the law. Forget the law now turn to Hebrews
10. I'll show you the caveat that
follows with that Here's number six Even obedience Even obedience
in faith You hear what I'm saying now even obedience even obedience
in faith to its that's the schoolmaster ceremony and sacrifice gave no
deliverance. It was the faith that gave deliverance. Yea, it was God who gave the
faith that gave the true deliverance. Look at what Hebrews chapter
10 says about it. For the law having a shadow of
good things to come, and not the very image of the things,
so the law is just at best a shadow. I pointed this out last Sunday
to the folks, it's a shadow, it's just an outline. It gives
no real detail. It's just a shadow. For the law
having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image
of the things can never, with those sacrifices which they offered
year by year continually, make the comers there unto what? Perfect. Couldn't do it. Doing what was
right under the law didn't make you perfect. Do you see what
he's saying? For then would they not have
ceased to be offered because the worshipers once purged should
have no more conscience of sins? God made it clear by the fact
that it had to be done over and over and over and over. This
ain't it. This ain't the way. It's just
a shadow of the way. But in those sacrifices, there
is a remembrance, again, made of sins every year. Every year. You see, when you're
seeing the high priest going in once a year, every year, it
kept reminding you, we're sinful. We're sinful. We're sinful. When you see Christ crucified
on the tree for sinners, what do you see? We're righteous.
We're righteous. We're righteous. Huh? Yeah. If you've ever really seen the
gospel, that's what you see. Look, let's go on. For it is
not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take
away sins. Wherefore, when he cometh, that
is when Christ cometh into the world, he saith, sacrifice and
offering thou wouldest not. But a body hast thou prepared
me in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin. Thou hast not little
bit of pleasure, half and half pleasure, 50-50 pleasure? Thou
hast no pleasure. Then said I, lo, I come in the
volume of the book. So this ain't just one isolated
truth, is it? It's true from the old preacher
from cover to cover. It's true from Genesis all the
way through the time of the law, Joe, right during the time of
the law, even after the time of the law, and even in the glory. Then said I, lo, I come in the
volume of the book it is written of me to do thy will, O God,
above, when he said, sacrifice and offering and burn offerings
and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither has pleasure therein,
which are offered by the schoolmaster. Do you see it? By the law. Then
said I, lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the
schoolmaster. That's what he's talking about.
He taketh away. What did our Lord do, my brothers
and sisters, for us? He took the schoolmaster away. You're no longer under the schoolmaster. The law, W-A-S. was our schoolmaster. Then said he, lo, I come to do
thy will. He taketh away the first that he may establish. The second's always been, the
second came before the first. It's just recognized as the second
only because God said even the first will have to pass away.
He said the very fact that God called it a first lets you know
there's gotta be a second. Look, by the witch will, we are
sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once. And every priest standeth daily
and ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices,
which can never take away sins. There's that word, Joe, that
word, Paul, but. But this man, after he had offered
one sacrifice, four sins, forever sat down on the right hand of
God from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his
footstool. So what's the summary of something like that? For by
one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. So since we are, I didn't say
if we are. If we are, if we're believers,
we are. If we're believer if we are believers
we are what? perfected How long? Forever and have it begun in
the spirit. Oh We're now made perfect by
conforming this flesh by bringing it all know. This flesh is just
as bad as a matter of fact You'll see it more for what it is after
God saves you than you ever ever did before God saved you You
might have known it doctrinally, but you don't know it spiritually.
So God already has saved you. Then you really start to see
how bad this flesh is. And every once in a while, he'll
just do this. I don't even have to explain this for you all.
He'll just do that. And he'll let that flesh have
its way for a bit. And you'll start like this. And I don't
care if this only takes 10 minutes. And then God stops you. It feels
like this. No, just down. And think about
it. That's true when we were doing
the best we could under the law. When we were obeying its priest. Now, not us particularly, but
if we try it now, what are we doing? We're abandoning Christ.
We're saying what he really did ain't really quite good enough
if we go back to that. Somebody said, well, we don't
need the sacrificial law. We just need the moral law. You
can't keep the moral law. Are you implying that this sacrificial
law was immoral? It was right to do it under the
law. But when Christ came, he said
the law's done. Done, I fulfilled it. Not because
he just done away with it, destroyed it, he said I fulfilled it. So again, Obedience to its ceremony
and sacrifice gave no deliverance. Never did. Never did. This is our schoolmaster. Ah, let me say it again. I've
done tried to say it. This was our schoolmaster. You see, I thought, Joe, well,
this still, no, I'm not allowed to say it's still our schoolmaster.
No, I say that only pointing out what it used to be. Not what
it is today. It's still a schoolmaster, but
it ain't ours. It ain't ours. What did he write? Wherefore, the law was our schoolmaster
unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. That is,
the law was our schoolmaster up until the time Christ died. And once he died, now when God
gives you faith, What's that? But after the faith has come,
we are no longer under the schoolmaster. Somebody says, well, how in the
world then is a believer to live right? How in the world did you
believe to start with? By the free reigning grace of
God? How did you repent and turn from your old way and say, I'm
tired of that, I'm sick of that, I hate that. What caused you
to do that? Grace did. Christ did. The message of Christ is what
encouraged you, lit a fire in your soul. And that's the only
thing that'll keep lighting that fire in your soul. You go back
to the law and what have you done? For I testify again unto
every man that is circumcised that he's debtor to the whole
law. Christ has become of no effect unto you. Whosoever of
you are justified by the law, you're fallen from, you've abandoned
grace. And here's the trouble with that.
Have I merely fallen, if I do that? I'm not even gonna deal
with this much. I'm gonna say a couple of things.
Have I merely fallen, and Joe, Paul, and God lift me back up,
or have I fallen away? There's the scary thing. Well,
I said this years ago, you know, He sat right there beside me.
Yeah, Jay Smith was here before God took him on. And I preached
that, and I could just see his jaw drop. When I said, well,
I guess he never dawned on him, never seen it. I said, the fall
and the falling away looks the same in the beginning. But one
stops in the hand of God. Yes, sir. Joey, tell what you,
one stops in the hand of God, but the other one, they're falling.
But there ain't no hand of God there. And they fall away. Now if that didn't frighten the
bejeebies out of you, you can't be frightened. Because God knows
I don't want to be apostate. I don't want to abandon Christ
and have done so in a way that is nothing but unregeneracy and
lostness. We all abandon Christ at times
in some way or another. We pick up our little rules. And it don't, Joe, it don't have
to be mosaic law, it could be church law. Ecclesiastical law,
moral law, ethical law. There's nothing good about mistreating
animals. But treating animals good don't
get you the glory. Now does it? No. There's nothing
wrong, it's right to try to take care of this earth. Not pollute
it. And as Earl used to say, don't
foul up your own nest. And if you pardon my language,
use the bathroom right in your own bed. Every one of us that's
ever done that knows we don't want to be in that bed until
it's cleaned up, now do ya? But taking care of this world.
doesn't bring you justification before God. How many of you can watch, I
mean, can really watch one of those commercials for the Shriners
Crippled Children Hospital or some of that, and it just breaks
your heart to watch these parents with these little ones suffering
from this incurable disease. They're just hoping for a miracle,
that something will be found. God will give somebody some wisdom,
something will be found to help their little baby. And I say
this, just my personal opinion, I think it's one of the most
admirable things to support in this world. They go to one of
them places, Elizabeth, and parents don't have to pay a dime. But
that don't give you any justification before God by supporting it.
It don't. It don't. Now, don't turn to
this one. I want you to listen. I'm gonna
make this statement, then I'm gonna read the proof of it. Remember,
I said this, this is our schoolmaster. No, wait, it's more. This was
our schoolmaster. We now reject the schoolmaster's
righteousness. Did you hear what I just said?
We now reject the schoolmaster's righteousness. Listen to the
words of our brother Paul. Though I might also have confidence
in the flesh, If any man think that he hath whereof he might
trust in the flesh, I'm over. Circumcised the eighth day of
the stock of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin, he done got me beat
right off the bat. Huh? Of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew
of Hebrews, as touching the law of Pharisee concerning zeal,
persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in
the law, what's he say? Blameless. But what things were
gained to me, those I counted loss? For one person. One thing, if you want to. Because
no thing compares to this one person. Those I counted loss
for Christ, yea, doubtless. Paul's not just having a good
fit of good Calvinism here. This is grace, this is what grace
does to you. Yea, doubtless, and I count all
things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus,
my Lord, for whom I've suffered the loss of all things, and do
count them, but dumb, that I may win, who? Christ, and be found
in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law. We reject
the schoolmaster's righteousness. You see that? but which is through
the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. You know what I say to that?
What Jodah said, amen. That's it. Heavenly Father, we
thank you for your gospel and him who is the sum and substance
of that gospel. Lord, be with us as we eat together.
We thank you for the food. Lord, we miss those who couldn't
make it for varying reasons. Lord, be with them and comfort
them where they are, and may their hearts and minds be thinking
about us as we are thinking about them. And may their hearts and
minds be stayed upon the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank you for this food again, and Lord, may we enjoy a good
time together in fellowship in your truth. In Christ's name,
amen.